Bonnie Hunter teaches me

Thursday, October 20, 2011

We are throwing the last things into our suitcases so we can start our trip to Italy and the Mediterranean. We'll have three days in Florence, three days in Rome and then off to the Greek islands for a week.

So I did finish a red polar fleece backing for the Lego quilt, and both will be deliver to my long-arm quilter tonight by a friend. So that quilt is out of the sewing room.
I'm taking some socks to finish knitting as we drive to and from Chicago's O'Hare Airport, and then I'm leaving that stuff in the car. No handwork for two weeks, just looking and looking at the scenery and antiquities.

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For those who wondered: SaraRachel, DGD aged 13, developed an abysmally low platelet count, no blood clotting whatsoever. She is in St. Louis Children's Hospital for two days at least for improvement. She is not in pain and is enjoying their fulsome attention. Mom is frazzled.

Sara

Gratitudes:

Have good enough health for this tripHave enough wealth for this tripHave Road Scholar [Elderhostel] to do all the arrangements and teaching

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

This phone is going into retirement. It has been eligible for retirement since May we found out.

Since we are on a Family Plan phone contract with our son and DIL, I had to get permission from my son to change phones, and I had to get two different passwords. So there were about five phone calls between the Apple Store and Peter before I was able to walk out with the new phone in my possession and working.

My new iPhone, shown resting on the old phone, is NOT the just issued version, but a previous edition at a much lower price. Nevertheless, it does a kajillion things that the old phone did not do. And I am in deep technologic ignorance.

So far I have entered all the phone numbers from my old phone, but today all but six of them are gone. On the other hand, all six that I have kept, now have their email addresses listed, which I did NOT enter. Hmm.
Ain't technology wonderful?

I did, I think, manage to record three songs that the Women's Chorus was practicing last night. And they did download to my computer, where I could name them, and delete the most incomplete. [The director keeps interrupting us!] But then I couldn't/didn't find the way to "sync" the tunes back onto my phone so I could listen to them.

Enough talk of that.

I finished up the light strips going onto the Lego quilt as the first border.

It worked out to be four strips on most of the sides. I saw a royal blue fleece at JoAnn's that I think I will use on the back. Maybe I will turn it to the front also for the binding. So what to go between those light strips and a royal blue binding?

I think I'm going to see what red and orange strips I have that are already cut to 3 or 3.5 inches.

Sara

Gratitudes:

AAA membership took care of last night's flat tireAnticipating two week trip to the MediterraneanA few nights of no late-night baseballChildrens' Hospital in St. Louis taking care of granddaughter Sara Rachel

Sunday, October 16, 2011

But FIRST of all, here is the drawer that held all my 1.5 inch strips and squares. The squares were in the inner box, and the strips were PACKED around that.

And now the first border:

At the suggestion of one of my blog readers, I pulled out a bunch of the light strips and saved them for a border. I am sewing them around and around until I run out of them, which hasn't happened yet.

What, if anything, will happen after that is yet to be seen.

And here's the current state of the project, lying on the living room rug, which is 6 feet by 9 feet.

Sara

Gratitudes:

An empty drawer!Leftover lentil soup for lunchGoing to Lake Michigan this afternoon

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Thursday, October 6, 2011

So I have put together four of the 12 inch Lego blocks, and I have sewn them to two sides of the large "inchie" block. I am gung-ho to add more on each side, BUT maybe I should quilt this much before adding anything more [?]. I'm not sure which to do next. This piece is 24 inches wide and 48 inches long. That seems to be a good size to get quilted.

Guess I'll go watch the Tiger-Yankees baseball game and leave this decision until tomorrow.

Sara

Gratitudes:

Warm, sunny day with leave beginning to turnSpent about an hour downtown looking at Art Prize entriesTigers are ahead!

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Sunday, October 2, 2011

The center of the Lego quilt is put together. I only have to decide in which rotation to sew these four blocks together. [One of my blogging friends commented that she calls these little squares "inchies".] There are a few HSTs and one 9-patch in the mix.

My plan at the moment is to frame this in some shades of gray-- a subtle frame that might go unnoticed for a short while. I'll have to see if I have the right grays for that plan. OR I might use a pile of red and white HSTs, left over from a Bonnie Hunter romp, and make the frame out of them. Not so subtle. Then the Lego Blocks will go around the outside.

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We accomplished a lot of music learning and eating and fun at the Women's Chorus two day workshop. Next Saturday there is another workshop in choral singing by a local expert in which we can individually participate; not using OUR music, of course. I'll go and see what more I can learn.

Sara

Gratitudes:

Sun twinkling on the frosty grass and leaves this morningA dog who likes cantaloupe rindsTigers beat the Yankees!

About Me

I'm retired and spending more time making quilt tops, almost all for charity. I live on a little lake with my husband Charlie, who has retired from being Rector of an Episcopal church for 30 years, and our dog Zeke. We have two grown children and three grands.